


Lead me home

by Jamz1233



Category: The Flash (TV 2014), The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: Also first story on ao3, Awkward about his lil sis all grown up, Awkward with team flash, Big Brother Barry, Big Sister Iris (kind of), Family, Family Fluff, Is she a meta? who knows, Lena Lutessa Luthor, Maybe - Freeform, Medical Inaccuracies, Original Character Just wants family, Protective Lena Luthor, Scientific Inaccuracies, She'll find her place, She's a total badass, Stupid Smart Barry, Technological Inaccuracies, Wayyyy too protective too, We stan Lena Lutessa Luthor, We stan Lena Luthor, author doesn't know shit, probably, so many inaccuracies, we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23823718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jamz1233/pseuds/Jamz1233
Summary: Piper Nora Parker bounced around from foster home to foster home, always craving but never finding a sense of family. That is until she discovers a brother. Now she's just got to worry about keeping him in her life, before he abandons her too.
Relationships: Barry Allen & Cisco Ramon & Caitlin Snow, Barry Allen & Iris West, Barry Allen & Joe West, Barry Allen & Original Female Character(s), Henry Allen & Original Female Character(s), Iris West & Joe West, Iris West & Original Female Character(s), Lena Luthor & Original Female Character(s), Original Female Character(s) & Original Character(s), Team Flash & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. 7 years old

Piper narrowed her eyes as she used the library computer. It took no technical skill to find out about her birth family. She knew she had a mother who died, that she was born in Central city. She knew her mother died when she was one, meaning she just had to sift through newspaper records that had something written about a mother of a baby who died from February onward.

She found three possibilities. One woman who had a son and daughter, who was murdered by her husband. Another woman who died in an accident who had three children, and a third woman who had a single baby. Piper quickly ruled out the third woman. Both she and her child had died. After a little more digging, she found the second woman wasn't a possibility. Her husband had taken in all three children. There was no information on the first woman's children, however. Could this have been her family? Did her father kill her mother and leave his children parent-less? Of all her fantasies, this was not the family she'd envisioned. She had imagined a mother and a father who cared about each other. A mother who was arty, who probably also shared her affinity for computing. A father who was strong but soft and kind. He would watch musicals with her and sneak out to get ice cream with her.

She would settle for parents who loved her and each other. And her brother- the brother she'd never known existed. The brother she'd never really wished for but now wanted more than anything. Just a family who would be hers forever. Maybe it didn't matter that she didn't know her parents, or that she wouldn't get to know them. Maybe they didn't matter. She would still have a brother. A brother. That was a comforting thought. She glanced at the time before logging out and rushing out of the library.

It was maybe ten days later when Piper found out all the key information on her brother and a way to get to Central City. It was surprisingly easy to pretend to buy a bus ticket for her "mother" and herself. She took a cab all the way to CC Jitters, a shop Barry seemed to frequent often, if his pictures were anything to go by. It was eight in the morning on a Saturday, so she wasn't expecting to see him, but she could hope. She sat with her hot chocolate for two hours when he showed up. He was with a girl, so she waited for the girl to leave him and find a table. The girl seemed to just tell him her order before letting him wait in line. Piper stood as soon as the girl sat down and walked over to him.

"Hi." She said.

"Um, hello?" He said. "Are you lost?"

"Are you Barry? Barry Allen?"

"Who's asking?" He frowned.

"I'm Piper. Your sister."

"What?"

"I'm Piper." She repeated. "I'm your sister." He let out a nervous chuckle.

"Okay, uh, that's not possible."

"Why not? I'm seven, you're seventeen. Which means, you were ten when I was born. So you have to remember that you have a sister. Unless I got it wrong. Did I get it wrong?"

"No. I mean, yes. I mean, I had a sister, but she's adopted into another family."

"I was never adopted. I was very nearly adopted a month ago, but it didn't happen."

"This can't be happening." He shook his head. "Where's your guardian?"

"You're not happy." She said.

"It's not that I'm not-"

"Sorry to bother you." She muttered and ran off. Barry look up at Iris who was looking at him with a raised brow and at the door where the young girl had run out. He sighed, before mouthing an 'I'm sorry' to Iris and heading after the kid.

He stood outside Jitters trying to see which way she'd gone but she'd disappeared.

"Alright." He said to himself. "If I was a seven year old girl, where would I go?"

"Where would any seven year old kid go?" Iris said and he turned around and shrugged. "The park"

"Right."

"Who are we looking for?" She asked as she followed after him.

"She says she's Piper."

"Piper?"

"My sister."

"I thought Piper was adopted by another family."

"So did I. There!" He pointed at a figure sitting on a swing.

"I'll wait here." Iris said. "Go." He didn't need any more encouragement and he walked over, sitting beside her.

"Hi." He said and she looked up.

"You don't have to be here. I know you don't want to."

"Hey, who said I don't want to?"

"It's written all over your face. I'll just go home."

"Where's home?" He asked.

"Starling city."

"If you live all the way in Starling city, how did you get here?" 

"You'd be surprised at how easy it is when no one cares."

"You weren't adopted, huh? Who do you live with?"

"Right now? Mr and Mrs Logan. But I'm only going to be with them for another week, tops."

"Why?"

"Why does it matter?"

"How did you find me?"

"You should really make use of the privacy settings on Facebook."

"Aren't you a little young to have an account?"

"Probably. It's not like I'm actually going to use it. I just made it to find your profile."

"Do Mr and Mrs Logan know you're here?"

"No."

"Does anyone?"

"Just Willa. But she won't tell anyone." 

"Okay, why don't you come with me, and we'll get someone responsible to come get you and keep you safe."

"Just leave me alone!" She stood up and ran off again. He sighed and tried to follow her, but Iris got to her first. He didn't know what Iris said, but within a minute, the two girls were walking back towards him.


	2. 9 years old

Barry walked into his room and paused.

"Piper?" He asked. She was sitting on the edge of his bed. "Wait, how did you get in?"

"I picked the lock. Happy birthday, by the way." She grinned.

"Thanks. Do your foster parents know you're here?"

"Yeah, Mary drove me."

"Don't you have school?"

"Class field trip."

"To my bedroom?" Barry scoffed.

"No, I decided I wanted to come visit you instead. For your birthday."

"Look, Piper." He started. She frowned, noticing his tone didn't match hers. "I'm a little busy today."

"Oh."

"How long are you going to be in Central City?"

"Just today. I have school tomorrow."

"It's Saturday."

"I have a computing club." She stood up. "Forget it. I'll just call next time."

"Pipes, it's not that I don't want to-"

"You have a life. It's okay."

"Are you sure? I can-"

"Don't worry about it. I have a lot of homework, anyway. Happy birthday."

"Where's Mary? Maybe I can take you to her?"

"No, it's okay. She said she was going to look around Central City and meet me at Jitters later. I'll just go there now and wait for her."

"I'll take you." She shook her head, sadly.

"No." She headed for the door and left.

"Pipes-" She ignored him, and he looked back at his bed. There was a wrapped box. He walked over and opened it. Inside was a decorated photo frame with a photo Iris took of them the day they first met. He sighed and turned to go after his sister. As soon as he opened the door, he was ambushed by a group of his friends.

"Hey, birthday boy!" 

"Come on, Barry. We got to go."

"Guys, I gotta do something first." He said. "I'll meet you in a bit."

"What? Dude, come on. It's your birthday."

"I'm sorry- I have to- I'll explain later." He pushed past them and ran after Piper. He caught up to her three blocks away from campus. He called after her when he spotted her. "Piper!" She turned around.

"Barry?"

"Piper." He said, breathing heavily. 

"Did you run?"

"Yeah." He breathed. She waited for him to catch his breath. "Look, it's not that I don't want to spend time with you. You know I do."

"You're busy. I get it."

"No. I just- if I'd known you were coming, I would have... known."

"I should've called."

"How about I come down on Sunday, and we spend the day together. Just you and me."

"Really?"

"Absolutely." She grinned widely.

"Okay." She gave him a hug.

"I love the photo, by the way. And the frame. Did you do that yourself?"

"Yeah. Mrs Williams lets anyone who wants to work on projects stay after school for an hour."

"And where did you learn how to pick a lock?"

"Actually, Willa taught me."

"Willa sounds very interesting."

"Uh, yeah." Piper said, a little uncomfortable. "Hey, we're here!" 

"You want a hot chocolate?"

"Yeah!" Her eyes lit up, and Barry took her to order. "Look, Mary's here!"

"Where?" Barry looked around before his eyes fell on Piper's foster mother. He didn't know much about her, they'd only met once a few months earlier. But she seemed to really care about Piper, which was a nice change from Piper's previous foster families. 

**_Sunday_**

Piper sat on her bed, all dressed up. Barry had promised. He'd come to her. There was a knock on her door and she jumped up, excited. She frowned when she noticed it was Mary.

"Barry called." Mary said softly. "He has some last minute revision and can't make it." Piper stood up, the pain of the rejection so clearly written on her face.

"It's probably for the best. I have English homework to finish."

"If you have time, what do you say we go for ice cream? There's a new sundae shop that opened up yesterday."

"Yeah, okay. I just need to use the bathroom first." 

She locked the door behind her, and turned on the water faucet. Her face crumbled as tears welled in her eyes. She clenched her fists, and bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to let any tears fall. Barry was busy. It happened. He was in college. He probably had a lot more important things to do than hang out with the kid sister who forced her way into his life. She cupped her hand under the faucet, letting the water pool in her hands and splashed it on her face. She wouldn't cry. She would go and spend time with Mary. Sweet, kind Mary who cared about her and was enough family. She turned off the faucet and scrubbed her face.


	3. 10 years old

"It's official!" Mary said setting a cake down on the coffee table. "You are officially my daughter."

"And you're officially my mom!" Piper grinned. "And we have cake to officially celebrate."

"Yes, we do. One slice for today, and we'll keep the rest in the fridge?"

"Can't I have two slices?" Piper pouted.

"Easy there, tiger. One slice. There's already way too much chocolate on it."

"One and a half? We can share a second slice."

"That is just wrong. Playing dirty?"

"You know you want to..." Piper dragged out the 'to'. Mary laughed.

"Fine, one and a half."

"Yes!" Piper said victoriously and her mother laughed. "I can just call you mom, right?"

"Yes. Of course you can." Piper drummed her fingers lightly on the notebook she was holding. Mary cut out a slice of the cake and put it on the table in front of Piper. Piper placed the notebook on her lap and held it with one hand, before beginning to dig into her cake. Mary smiled and reached over for the notebook. "Why don't we put this somewhere safe so it doesn't get messy?" Piper reluctantly let Mary take it as the older woman kissed her forehead. "Happy birthday, kiddo."

"Thanks, _mom_." She tested the word. Mary smiled widely as Piper ate her cake. "Did we get any calls today?" The smile dropped from her face. She knew exactly who Piper was hoping would call.

"Not yet, kiddo."

"Okay."

Mary paced the room. Piper was hiding in her bedroom, disheartened that Barry hadn't called. Making a split second decision, Mary pulled out her phone and dialled him.

"Mary? Is everything okay?" Was how Barry answered. "Did something happen to Piper?"

"Do you know what day it is today?"

"Um... the seventh."

"It's Piper's birthday. She's only mentioned it about a thousand times to anyone who'll listen."

"It's Saturday already?" He asked.

"Yes. And that little girl has been waiting for you to acknowledge her existence with at least a phone call, or an email."

"I'm sorry. I've just been swamped with college-"

"You can't use that excuse every time. She's spent the past three years waiting for you to give her a second thought."

"I can be there in two hours. Can I take her out? As a surprise?"

"Of course."

"I really didn't mean to forget."

"You never do." Mary sighed and hung up.

To his credit, Barry did show up. Mary might not have liked him very much, but the joy it brought Piper was always worth it. They came back way past Piper's bedtime, but she let it slide.

"So, you have fun?" She asked after Barry left.

"Yeah! We went bowling and then we saw a movie and there was this game and Barry won me this bear and then we had dinner at a restaurant and Barry got me a cupcake with a candle. I knew he didn't forget. I mean, I thought maybe he might have, but I knew he didn't. I knew it!" She said, the glee evident on her face.

"Of course not, how could he ever forget your birthday?"

"I guess. I'm so glad we live in Keystone, now. He's not too far away."

"No, he's not. Okay, you can tell me more in bed, but you have had an awful lot of cake today. Go brush your teeth and get ready for sleep." As if on cue, Piper yawned.

"Yeah, I suppose I am tired." She bounded up the stairs, and Mary sat on the couch.

Piper came back down ten minutes later, all snuggled in her onesie. "You look ready for bed."

"I am." Mary stood and led her up to her room.

"Come on then. It's a good thing tomorrow's Sunday. You can sleep in."


	4. 12 and 13 years old

"Really, kid? Suspension?" Mary asked as she drove Piper home.

"He stole Willa's diary."

"You tell a teacher. Or me."

"He was going to flush it down a toilet. It would've been ruined."

"I think you broke his nose."

"Good."

"Not good. You don't hurt people, Piper." She huffed.

"He was going to ruin it."

"I know, sweetheart. And I know it's valuable. But violence isn't okay. It's never okay." Piper stared out of the window. "But I am glad you stood up for yourself. Next time, just don't hit other people, okay?"

"Am I grounded?"

"Definitely. Two day suspension and two day grounding. During school hours, you're going to study, and abide by your normal school schedule. No computer or TV."

"You're going to home school me?"

"Well, I still have work, but Miss Clarkson next door will watch over you."

"I can stay home alone."

"Are you sure? I won't be home until five."

"Yeah! I'll be fine. Please. I won't open the door for any strangers, and I promise to stick to my work. And you can call to check in on me."

"Okay, we'll see how things go tomorrow. Miss Clarkson will come by and check on you every once in a while, and make sure you get lunch. Okay?"

"Yes!"

Barry surprised Piper with a visit on Friday. He came at noon, calling Mary beforehand. Under normal circumstances, Mary would have refused, but Piper didn't get to see him often. So she was lenient, just this once, not warning the young girl. She didn't want to get Piper's hopes up in case Barry backed out. It wouldn't have been the first time.

"Barry!" Piper hugged her brother, opening the door.

"Hey, kiddo."

"Wait, why are you here?"

"Can't I just come and visit?"

"It's always welcome."

"You didn't ask who was at the door." He said. "Why?"

"I checked the peephole." She rolled her eyes. "You sound like mom. Come on in."

"I brought some burgers." Barry set a bag down on the coffee table, where Piper had some books out. She closed them and moved them to the end of the table, grabbing her worn notebook and putting it beside her on the couch.

"Well, I was going to stop for lunch now anyways. Probably won't be long before Miss Clarkson comes by."

"So, you got suspended?"

"Did mom call you?"

"No, I called. I would've come a little later in the day, but she said you'd be home."

"Well, I got suspended and grounded."

"You broke someone's nose?"

"Well, I wasn't going to let him bully me."

"Huh."

"Don't worry, I already got scolded by mom. I don't need another lecture."

"When I was your age, I used to get in fights too."

"You?" Piper snorted.

"You find that funny?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I didn't say I won."

"That's more believable." Barry's jaw dropped in mock offence. Piper giggled.

"Hello?" The front door unlocked.

"Hi Miss Clarkson." Piper called. "In here!" Miss Clarkson walked in, frowning as she saw Barry.

"Hello." She said, confused.

"This is Barry, Miss Clarkson." Recognition dawned on her face and she smiled. 

"The famous Barry, huh? Piper almost never stops talking about you." Barry looked a little flushed.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." He stood and held out his hand. Miss Clarkson shook it.

It's almost a year later when Barry visits Piper again. He was now an official junior CSI for Central City, which meant he was a lot busier than ever. This time wasn't much of a surprise. Piper had been trying to catch him when he was free, but any plan they made seemed to fall through. It took a lot out of her.

"Hi." She said grumpily when he came over.

"Hey Pipes." He greeted. "What's wrong?"

"Just stupid jerks at school being stupid and jerky." She muttered.

"I'm sorry."

"Can we just do something fun to take our minds off it?"

"Sure, what do you have in mind?"

"Let's go to the theatre. We can watch a movie."

"Your wish is my command." He said. His phone rang. He looked at it before his eyes widened. "Give me one second." He said and answered. "Hi, sir. Uh, today's my day- yes, I know but- Keystone city, sir. I can't- yes sir. Yes sir. Okay, goodb- sir?" He pulled his phone away from his ear.

"You have to go back?" Piper asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I really wanted to spend time with you."

"It's okay. Don't worry. Next time."

"I'm really sorry, Pipes."

"I get it. You're an adult, with a job and a life in another city."

"I'll call you later?"

"Yeah, okay." She nodded, knowing full well he wouldn't.

"And those jerk boys? They're idiots for messing with you."

"Thanks."

"Whatever you do though, no punching."

"I already got that lecture. Don't worry." Barry gave her a hug.


	5. 15 years old

Piper was visiting Central City on a school trip. Her physics class was supposed to go visit STAR labs the day after the particle acceleration. Her super awesome teacher, Mrs Carson, had arranged an overnight stay so that they could try to see the particle accelerator be turned on too. Piper thought it was a wonderful opportunity to maybe see her brother too. They'd first all been checked in to the Payson hotel. However, the sign up had only allowed up to ten students to sign up and spaces were allotted in a first come-first serve basis. There were also two teachers chaperoning them. At the hotel, the students had been divided into buddies with whom they shared a room with. Piper had never been so excited in her life- the particle accelerator would be a source of clean energy and open up a whole new world for her to study. It would be incredible, especially for someone who enjoyed programming and computer science like she did. 

Unfortunately by the time her class got to STAR labs, there were too many people for them to see the accelerator turn on so they all headed on home, resigned to watching it on the T.V. They, at least, still had their trip to STAR labs where they could ask questions and be granted access to the accelerator itself. That would be beyond cool in itself.The hotel wasn't very far from STAR labs, so they all walked back, hurrying when they noticed a storm brewing. Piper was glued to her phone and somewhat lagging behind as she watched the footage of the accelerator. She was determined not to miss such a profound moment in human history. Well, it would be history, but it had to happen first. Mrs Winters, her computer science teacher, noticed Piper had dropped back a bit.

"Piper, you'll have plenty of chance to watch it later. Try to keep up." She called. "And put that phone away, please?" Piper huffed but jogged a little. She caught up to everyone outside the hotel, when she heard a loud explosion. She paused and turned away to look around, before noticing that the explosion had come from the direction of STAR labs. Piper was the only one still outside the hotel, stuck in awe and confusion and staring into the distance. "Get in!" Mrs Winters yelled, but she was too late. A huge wave of energy knocked Piper backwards, and she hit her head on the wall beside the hotel entrance. Mrs Carson ushered the rest of the children back, calling for an ambulance, as Mrs Winters knelt beside Piper. "Piper? Piper, sweetie?" Piper groaned a little, and tried to open her eyes, blinking. "Can you stay awake for me?" Piper just moaned, shifting a little, attempting to sit up, maybe. "Don't move, sweetie."

"My head." She groaned.

"I know, but please. Just stay up for me, okay? You know who the president is?"

"Obama."

"What is the date?"

"December eleven." Her eyes began to flutter closed, but Mrs Winters tapped her cheek.

"Hey, no sleeping, remember?"

"Where's my mom?"

"She's at home."

"I wanna, huh-" Piper was breathing heavily now. "Can you take me home?"

"Soon, sweetie. First we need to get you to a doctor, okay?"

"I'm going to close my eyes."

"No, try to stay awake, sweetie. Tell me about your mom."

"My mom's awesome." She smiled a little. "Where is she?"

"Piper, do you know where you are right now?" She frowned for a moment.

"Outside?"

"More specific?"

"Central city." She said after a few moments. "Barry lives in Central City."

"Who's Barry?"

"Barry." She frowned again, as though searching for memories that slipped out of her grasp. "My brother." She said eventually. "He's my brother. He's coming here. After the- after-"

"How old is Barry?" Mrs Winters asked.

"Twenty five. He's going to be twenty six in a few months."

"It must be nice having a big brother."

"Sometimes I think he hates me." She answered. "Mrs Winters, I want my mom." Two men walked over quickly, with small medical bags.

"Is this her?" One asked and Mrs Winters nodded. She was pushed away slightly and the paramedic took her place. She reached for the back of Piper's head and touched it, before bringing her hand back. "She's bleeding."

"Miss?" The second asked, lifting her hand, placing two fingers on her wrist. "Weak pulse." He said, before reaching over his bag. He took out his equipment, placing an oxygen mask on Piper's face. "We gotta take her in." He said, getting the gurney out. Mrs Winters watched them put Piper in the back of the ambulance.

"Take them home, I'll stay behind with Piper. Call her mother. She said she has a brother here, so see if we can get a hold of him too. She's pretty out of it, but I think he was supposed to visit her during her stay. Probably the hotel." She told Mrs Carson, before getting in the ambulance with Piper.


	6. 15 years old (cont'd)

"Is she okay, what happened?" Mary questioned the teacher.

"There was a storm, and she fell. She hit her head. I don't really know beyond that. It looked bad, Mary. Really bad. She wasn't making much sense." The hospital lights flickered. 

"How could you let this happen? You were supposed to look after her." Mrs Winters just kept her head bowed, looking upset. Mary sighed. "I'm sorry. A storm isn't your fault, I know that. I just-"

"I know." The lights flickered again.

"What is going on?" Mary huffed. 

"I know it seems impossible, but try to calm down. You're not doing Piper any good by freaking out."

"How do I calm down? My daughter is-"

"Mary Parker?" A doctor walked over. Mary looked up.

"Is my daughter going to be okay?"

"Please come with me." The doctor said softly. Mary followed her.

"What is it? Is my daughter going to be okay?"

"We suspect that the trauma to her head resulted in an intracranial hemorrhage." At Mary's blank look, she elaborated. "A bleed in her brain."

"What do you mean, you suspect? Aren't there tests to tell for sure?"

"Unfortunately the storm is affecting most of our equipment. We'd like to transfer her to Culdstone hospital, but the roads out there are brutal. Air travel isn't an option either, unless we want to risk the copter going down."

"So what are you saying?"

"Without the scans we can't be positive of whether it's an ICH, or where the bleed is exactly. It's incredibly risky."

"So what are my options?"

"We could wait, but without immediate surgery she may not survive for long"

"But the surgery itself comes with risks? She could die on the table?"

"I understand it's a difficult decision."

"This isn't a decision, this is my daughter's life. I'm not choosing to cut my hair, or deciding which outfit to wear." Mary snapped. "Oh, I have to call Barry."

"We can have someone call for you. There are forms we need you to sign, and time is of the essence."

"What are her chances? Statistics?"

"Without immediate surgery, you have maybe and hour. Two, tops. With surgery, there's a 60% chance she won't make it." Mary looked apprehensive, but nodded.

"Where do I sign?"

Two hours later, there was still no news. Barry hadn't answered any of her calls, and Mary had no clue how else she could reach him.

"Of all the times to go radio silent, Barry." She huffed. The lights above flickered. 

"So, Barry. That's Piper's brother?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't know she had one."

"It's a long, sorry tale." Mary shrugged. "Piper met him, I think nine years ago." She looked at her phone. "I don't have a signal. I'll step outside. Hopefully I can reach him." 

"I'll keep an eye out for any news." Ms Winters said and Mary walked out. She headed to the front of the hospital and called Barry again. She was met with his voicemail and she sighed. "Barry, I appreciate that you might be really busy, but I really need you to get this message. Piper's in surgery and she might not make it, and you're her brother. So, when you do get this call, we're at CCH, so please make your way here as soon as you get this." She hung up. She looked out at the dark sky and took a deep breath, before turning back to the hospital. She caught a glimpse of an ambulance wheeling a gurney towards the entrance she was walking towards. She held the door open for them and saw who was on the gurney. "Oh my god, Barry?!"

"Ma'am, please stay back."

"What happened?" Mary asked, but they rushed past her. She tried to stay with them, but she and another man were left behind as they rushed through a door. She recognized him as Barry's foster father. They'd met briefly when a couple years earlier when they'd tried to celebrate Christmas together, but it had been cut short when Joe had to go into work.

"I know you from somewhere?" The man asked.

"My name's Mary. Piper's mom." The man frowned at her.

"Dad? Dad!" Mary saw Iris walking towards them.

"Iris." He said.

"What happened?" She asked not noticing Mary yet.

"He got struck by lightning." Joe told her. Mary gasped and Iris looked at her.

"Mary? What are you doing here?" Her eyes widened. "Is Piper okay? Does she know?"

"Piper's in surgery. She was outside and got caught in the blast or whatever this was. She hit her head pretty hard." Mary looked at her watch. "I should get back to check on her. Keep me updated?"

"Here give me your number." Iris said, handing over her own phone. Mary quickly typed in her number, and rushed back up to the waiting room.

"Any news?" She asked and Mrs Winters shook her head.

"You?"

"Barry's a patient too." Mary huffed out an exhausted sigh.

"Ms Parker?" The doctor came out and she stood up, alert.

"Is my daughter okay?"

"She's stable for now. She's asleep, though, so we won't know more until she wakes up. We're moving her to a private room."

"My insurance doesn't cover a-"

"It's been paid for, anonymously." Mary looked confused but didn't question it.

"Can I see her?"

"Of course. Right this way."


	7. 15 years old (cont'd)

Mary sat next to Piper, waiting for her to wake up. A throat cleared behind her and she saw Piper's teacher standing at the door, holding two cups of coffee.

"Thought you could do with a pick-me-up." Mrs Winters said and Mary smiled gratefully.

"Thanks." She took the cup. She turned to look back at her daughter. "When I first met her, it was supposed to be temporary. I never really saw myself as the motherly type."

"Piper's adopted?"

"Yeah. She grew on me and now I can't imagine what my life would be without her."

"She's a pretty special kid." 

"She is." Mary nodded.

Piper didn't wake up for another few hours. Iris came up to check on her too.

"How is she?" Iris asked.

"Stable." Mary answered. "Until she wakes up, they won't know any more. How's Barry?"

"Comatose. They're not hopeful." Mary looked morose.

"Iris, this is Mrs Winters. Piper's teacher at school. Iris is a friend of Barry's."

"Hi." Iris greeted. Mary turned back to Piper and saw her eyes move a little.

"Piper?" She said softly. "Hey sweetheart?" Piper let out a small groan and opened her eyes. She moved her hands to her ears.

"I'll get a nurse." Mrs Winters volunteered and walked out.

"It's loud." Piper croaked, her hands covering her ears. "Why's it so loud? Mom?"

"Hey, hey. It's okay." Mary said, dropping her volume even more. "You're okay. In the hospital, but okay."

"It hurts." Piper said. "Why's everything yelling? Make it stop. Shut it up! Turn it off! Off! Off!" She whined and suddenly the room was plunged into darkness. Piper let out a breath.

"Piper?" Mary reached out to her daughter in worry. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It's better now. Quieter." Mary looked around the room in worry. The lights weren't the only thing that had turned off. The beeping machines were silent. "What happened?"

"There was an accident. You got hurt."

"The particle accelerator. Did I miss it?"

"Don't worry about that right now."

"Okay." Piper settled back down. 

Piper was discharged three days later. The doctors didn't understand why the machinery in her room always turned right back off, but after some tests, they concluded that she was fine. 

As soon as she left the hospital, however, she was bombarded by thousands of sounds that had her collapsing to the ground, her hands cradling her head. Mary carried her back inside, attempting to soothe her crying daughter.

"Help!" Mary called and Piper's doctor caught sight of them. She quickly ushered them back to the room Piper had been staying in.

"What happened?" She asked and Mary shook her head.

"I don't know. She was fine one moment, but as soon as we passed the doors she-" Mary gestured to Piper.

"Piper, can you hear me?" The doctor asked and Piper nodded, not letting go of her head. "Is it your head that hurts?"

"Everything's so loud."

"What do you mean everything?" 

"I don't know. It's like white noise, only I can't make anything out. Like everything's overlapping and when I'm in here it's all slightly muffled. But then, when I went outside, it was like someone put speakers right next to my ears and it's all deafening." Doctor Gibson frowned.

"That's worrying. We're going to have to try some more tests. Would you be okay with that?"

"What kind of tests?" Mary asked.

"Some blood tests, to start." Mary nodded reluctantly.

"That okay, kiddo?" Piper nodded, and the doctor walked back out. "Mind staying here for a little while? I gotta call my boss and tell her I'll need a little while longer off."

"Just make sure you add that I think she's the coolest human being to ever walk the earth and I would jump off a cliff for her."

"This is why I don't ever take you into work with me." Mary said, though grinning.

"I thought it was because your work's super classified?"

"That too." Mary pat her daughter's shoulder and walked out of the room.

Mary walked back into the room, where her daughter was reading a book on quantum programming. She took a seat next to the bed, though Piper didn't acknowledge her presence. She probably didn't realize.

"Good book?" A nurse asked, walking in. Piper didn't look up.

"It's scary how easily she gets drawn into her books. The room could be set on fire and she wouldn't notice." Mary answered for her. This time Piper must've heard because she looked up and saw her mother and the nurse.

"When did you get back?" She asked and Mary and the nurse laughed.

"I'm just going to need an arm for a little while. You good with needles?" Piper shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm fine with them. They've never really freaked me out."

"That's good, then." The nurse said, and moved over a tray. "You'll need to hand over that book to mom, okay?"

"Wait!" Another nurse walked in. She walked over to her colleague and whispered something in his ear. He frowned muttering back quietly, his arms moving animatedly as he talked. Nurse #2 just shrugged and left.

"What's going on?" Mary asked.

"It's nothing bad." Nurse #1 said. "Apparently a representative from S.T.A.R labs would like to speak with you both about alternative treatments."

"How can there be an alternative treatment when you don't even know what's wrong with my daughter."

"If you consent-"

"No. Absolutely not. I don't want any of them anywhere near us."

"That is understandable, but they've still got ties. One of the higher ups has called a halt on testing until they get here."

"Then I'd like the discharge papers."

"Mom." Piper tugged on Mary's top.

"This is all their fault. Piper could have died. So no, I refuse to let them talk to you. We'll take our chances and move to Keystone Hospital." Mary glared. "And tell them if they so much as look at my child, I will file for a restraining order."

"Yes, ma'am." The nurse left, and Mary huffed.


	8. 15 years old (cont'd)

Piper was torn. On one hand, S.T.A.R labs was her second favourite research facility, and she would absolutely die for a chance to get to talk to one of the employees. But, on the other hand they screwed up. Bad. And now she was in the hospital because for some unknown reason she seemed to be allergic to the outside. Okay, that was a lie, it wasn't really very unknown and she was sure it wasn't the outside. In fact, she was almost eighty percent sure she knew exactly what was wrong with her. Either way, S.T.A.R labs was responsible for it and for the fact that Barry was still in a coma. In the end, she listened to her mother and decided not to talk to them. 

"I'm going to make a quick call, sweetie. Read your book, and don't talk to anyone who isn't an employee of this hospital."

"Yeah, okay." Mary leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.

"I'll be ten minutes at the most."

"I got it. I probably won't even notice." Piper assured and Mary nodded before swiftly exiting the room. Piper opened her book, flicking to her bookmarked page. 

"I'm aware this might go beyond the normal employee-boss relationship, but I don't know who else to turn to. God, S.T.A.R labs just wants to swoop in for who knows what. For all I know, they want to silence us, and I'm not equipped to deal with them."

"Mary, Mary. Calm down. Here's what you're going to do. Okay, you're going to go back to your daughter and refuse to talk to anyone from S.T.A.R labs without a lawyer present. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Keystone's at least an hour and a half away." Mary told her boss.

"I'm not driving. Fifteen minutes, and I will come and help you sort this out."

"Thank you." Mary breathed out in relief. "I'm out of my depth and you've already done so much, but thank you."

"Thank me when this is all sorted. I'm getting on the copter now. I'll see you in fifteen." Mary smiled and hung up, turning back to go to her daughter. Piper was reading her book and Mary plucked it out of her hands, closing it and taking a seat.

"My page!" Piper protested.

"I bookmarked it, don't worry." Mary said. "But you can't spend your whole time with your head in a book."

"What else am I supposed to do? We've got no signal so I can't talk to anyone, and for some reason my laptop's not working so I can't even work on my code for the bot we're building in robotics."

"One, you don't need a phone to talk to someone. In case you haven't realised, you have your super cool mom here for company. And I've already told you, your friends have agreed to work on your section while you're in the hospital."

"Saying super cool mom doesn't actually make you cool. It's lame." Piper said. 

"Alright, fine. I'll be your lame mom but I'm still here for you to talk to."

"Talk about what?"

"Tell me more about this bot your building for robotics."

"Well, the plan is to write a program designed to sense when someone's starting to get a panic attack. We got the idea from Gabby. Maybe try to help her. We were thinking maybe installing it onto a watch. That way we can pair the watch to another so someone who can help can get to her as soon as possible, you know? But we hit a snag, because Gabby gets extremely excited all the time too. So Kay and I are trying to figure out how to accurately code to filter out any false alarms."

"So what've you got so far?"

"Well, there's only so much we can do with school equipment. I mean, it's advanced I guess, but still. We can't just add an instantaneous hormone level checking feature to tell them apart."

"So what are your options?" Piper shrugged. 

"I don't know." Mary nodded, unconvinced but didn't push. Piper would come to a realisation soon enough.

"Got any other projects you're working on?"

"Wes wanted to build a robot arm like the one Tony Stark did in the Iron man movies. But it needs a whole voice recognition feature so that it can accurately respond to his commands. I told him I'd help after the watch. But Roslyn's team's working on this super awesome self-driving car. Technically it's a toy car and kind of a glorified roomba at the moment, but it's not done. And she's working really hard on it because she wants to use it as a model for an actual future self-driving car."

"When I went to school, the most aspiring student in my grade wanted to be a pilot. You got kids who want to build self-driving cars."

"You went to some hillbilly small-town public high school. I go to a S.T.E.M school." There was a knock on the door and they looked up. Piper's eyes widened and she dove under her covers. She heard her mom chuckle and the door open.

"Piper, get out from under the covers." Mary said, attempting to pry the covers off her.

"That's Lena Lutessa Luthor." Piper squeaked. "And I am not in any way mentally prepared to meet Lena Lutessa Luthor."

"That's a shame, because I was hoping to meet the awesome kid Mary's always bragging about." Piper let out an 'eep' of excitement.

"I might have undersold her idolisation of you." Mary told her boss. "Piper, start acting a human or you'll be in this hospital room forever."

"Is that an option?" She asked.

"No." Piper huffed. She took in a deep breath and sat up, tucking her hair behind her ears as she looked at her mother's boss.

"Can I just say you're, like, the biggest inspiration and I'm a little nervous that you're standing here in front of me, but it's also the best day of my life. Well, except for when mom adopted me because that was a pretty great day, but this is a close second. A very close second. And I'm just super in awe right now, and I'm rambling. Mom stop me, I'm rambling and I can't stop, and you know I won't stop until someone stops me, and honestly I don't care how because you could shoot me in the head and it would be the second, but also kind of almost the best day of my life because Lena Lutessa Luthor, the CEO and founder of Mercy Industries is standing right in front of me and-" Mary took pity on her daughter and put a hand on her mouth.

"Breathe through your nose. I'm not removing my hand until I know you've got a grip again." Piper breathed in and Lena laughed.

"Wow, I wish your mom had the same kind of reverence for me." Piper blushed, embarrassed. 


	9. 15 years old (cont'd)

After the disastrous introduction, Piper managed to calm down somewhat. Not totally, but a little. Then Lena suggested that they get ready to go, telling them her copter was waiting on the roof. That's when Piper freaked out.

"I can't." She said.

"Pipes, we can't stay here." Mary said.

"But I can't go outside. And I think it would be really dangerous to put me in a flying machine."

"My pilot's the best there is." Lena looked almost offended.

"No, not that." Piper said. She looked at her mom, pleadingly.

"What is it, Pipes?"

Piper took in a deep breath. "So, you know how our phones and pretty much anything that is electrical or technical just doesn't work in this room?"

"Yeah."

"It's illogical and makes no sense, but I think it's because of me. When I went outside it was all loud but I wasn't hearing anything. It was all inside my head and it was all so loud. I think everything in this room shut off because I wanted it all to stop. I know it sounds crazy, and I wouldn't believe me either. I know I sound like Barry right now, but what if I get on the helicopter and shut it off midflight or something?"

"Piper, I don't know what is going on. Neither of us do. But I do know you so if you really don't want to, then we'll figure something out." Mary said, kindly and Piper brightened.

"Sorry." She said. Her mother shook off the apology.

"Why don't we test your hypothesis?" Lena asked.

"As long as I don't get dissected." Piper shrugged. "Unless you want to. Then I'm totally fine with it." Mary covered her eyes with one hand.

"This is why I can't take you to work."

"Also, super classified stuff."

"I'm not going to dissect you." Lena cut into the mother-daughter banter. She pulled out her phone and placed it in front of Piper. "Try to turn it on." Piper looked dubious.

"Um... turn on?" She said hesitantly, looking at the phone. Instantly, the phone lit up with a white screen. "I was not expecting that to work. At all."

"I thought it'd take a few tries and better concentration." Mary added. "Or to not actually work at all."

"Thanks for the faith, mom." The phone switched off immediately, and Lena took it back.

"I'm sorry for being the tiny bit skeptical when my daughter tells me she's a cyborg."

"I'm not a cyborg. I think it's called technopathy. Like telepathy, but technical."

"Well, we still need to figure out a way to get you out of here without overwhelming you." Mary thought.

"Like a Faraday cage. That would block out signals, right?" Piper asked.

"I don't think we have the space for it in the copter, and it's hardly inconspicuous." Lena said, before a smirk sneaked onto her face. 

"Well, whatever we do, I'm not wearing a tinfoil hat."

"It's a subtler solution than a faraday cage." Lena pointed out.

"How is wrapping tinfoil around my head subtle? Not only will I look like an idiot, Miss Lena Lutessa Luthor, I'll also look crazy."

"Just Lena, please." Piper grinned.

"It's like a riddle." Mary mused. "What if we moved her while she's asleep?"

"Mom, are you going to drug me? After all the lectures on the importance of staying away from drugs?"

"Recreational drugs. I have nothing against medicinal."

"As much as I'd hate to miss my first ever helicopter ride, I think a sleeping pill might probably be our best bet."

"I'll go talk to your doctor. See if they'll at least provide us with a sedative and a wheelchair." Mary leaned down, and kissed Piper's forehead. "I'm sorry about all this, kiddo."

"Can you check on Barry before we go?" Mary nodded.

"Sure." And with one last look at her daughter, she left. Lena took a seat in the chair beside Piper, moving the book that was there first.

"Quantum programming? Heavy stuff for a fifteen year old."

"My friend recommended it. It's interesting. I'm more of a computer science gal, but physics is cool. Even more so when the two topics collide." Piper said. "You're more into biology, though, I suppose."

"I've been known to dabble."

"You went to college at fifteen and graduated with a marine biology major and then went on to build your own company focusing mainly on bio-engineering."

"You read up on me?"

"I've been a big fan ever since I found out Mercy Industries existed. I was nine when I developed what my mom calls an obsession."

"What would you call it?"

"A healthy appreciation of an ingenious mind." Lena laughed. 

"You're good for my ego. I should keep you around." Piper blushed. She looked to the door as it opened, and saw a nurse.

"Is your mother around?" She asked.

"Why?" Lena cut in for her.

"A Dr Snow is insisting to talk to her." Lena stood.

"She can talk to me." She said, and looked at Piper. "I'll be right outside, okay?"

"Thanks, Lena Lutessa Luthor." She laughed in reply, before following the nurse out.

Lena closed the door behind her and walked to a woman standing not far away. Making sure Piper's room was in her line of sight, she addressed the woman.

"I understand you'd like to speak with Dr Parker and her daughter?" She asked.

"Miss Luthor."

"It's Dr, actually." The woman nodded.

"My mistake, _Dr_ Luthor. It's a sensitive matter. I'd rather speak to Dr Parker privately."

"And she has expressed that she wants nothing to do with you, or any employee of S.T.A.R labs. I'll ask nicely just this once, that you leave them alone. If you continue to harass them, I can have my lawyers bury you in so many lawsuits, you'll wish you'd listened. You've already got blood on your hands, Dr. I believe it's fifteen dead and five in critical condition. You've got riots on the streets, people who'd like nothing more than for you and your colleagues to pay. S.T.A.R labs is already done. It'll never be taken seriously as a science facility again. So, unless you'd like to invite more trouble, I suggest you leave Dr Parker, and Miss Parker alone. They're under my protection."

"Why is a billionaire so involved with a single family?" Dr Snow asked.

"When my employee is being harassed by a disgraced research and development company, you'll find that it's my duty to step in. So, do we have an understanding." Lena crossed her arms, eyebrow perked high, her lips set in a dangerous smile. Dr Snow nodded and Lena walked past her, and into Piper's hospital room. The teenager was once again engrossed in her book, not noticing the presence of her idol.


	10. 15 years old (cont'd)

When Piper woke up, she was in a bedroom she didn't recognise. She noted some of her actual possessions. Sitting up, she looked around properly before hesitantly getting out of the bed. She padded across the floor, her feet sinking into the fuzzy red rug blanketing the wooden floor. Piper softly opened the door and stepped out.

"Mom?" She called.

"Wait!" She heard her mother yell and froze. A few moments later her mother appeared.

"All good!" Lena yelled.

"What's going on?"

"It's gonna be a little old fashioned around here for a while. No electricity. We've got EMPs all around the apartment."

"Whose apartment?"

"Ours, until we find a way to help you."

"How are we supposed to live without electricity? It's impossible. Am I never going to be able to use my phone again? Am I going to have to quit school? I'm going to have to be a hermit and live in a cave for the rest of my life, catching my own food in the forest nearby."

"Hey, drama queen. You're not quitting school. You just won't be going back for a little while."

"What if I miss too much and have to retake the year?"

"You're the only kid I've ever met who objects to missing school."

"I am not going to school with fourteen year olds."

"Your teachers sent over your classwork."

"Online?"

"We asked for printouts."

"So I'm not going to have to be a sophomore again next year?"

"That all depends on if you fail, but you probably won't."

"Probably?"

"I'm kidding. Come on, eat some breakfast."

"Great, I bet it'll be cold porridge or some prison gruel like that."

"Where on earth did you get this dramatic flair from the dramatics?"

"You tell me, you raised me." Mary gently pushed her daughter forward, to the kitchen.

"Morning, Piper." Lena smiled.

"Morning Lena Lutessa Luthor."

"Just Lena, please?"

"Sorry, Lena Lutessa Luthor. I don't think I can stop calling you Lena Lutessa Luthor." Lena looked at Mary who shrugged helplessly.

"Just don't ask her why. Please. For my sanity? The gist of it is she idolises you and you're that important." 

"And awesome. Super awesome. Don't forget that bit."

"Sit down and eat."

"Lena Lutessa Luthor, can we talk about your article? The one on artificially intelligence support robots for kids with autism."

"I don't think that was the official title, but sure. What about it?"

"One, are you really going to do it?"

"At the moment, it's theoretical. There's a lot to go into making such an android. It costs millions for a single android. Unless MI can get financial backing."

"Any contesters?"

"Wayne Enterprises might be interested. I should be getting an answer by the end of the week."

"What about Luthorcorp?"

"I'd like to keep my personal life and work life separate, so I have a rule against going into business with my father."

"Anyone else?"

"Not sure if discussing business plans with a fourteen year old is smart, but listen to your mom and eat, and we'll see." Piper immediately sat down at the table, and made a bowl of cereal. She looked expectantly at Lena who laughed. "Alright. Amertek Industries and Magnus labs are interested in buying the patent totally. I'm guessing androids for kids with autism isn't what they're thinking about."

"You're not going to give it to them, though are you? I mean, even if they give you a better offer than Wayne Enterprises? You're not doing it for the money."

"No, I will not, and no I am not."

"Cool. If Wayne Ent. agree, are you planning on having a hand on role with the project?"

"Yeah, definitely. It's the sort of thing that made me want to start my own company."

"The article was written by you and Jack Spheer. Is he working on it too?"

"Yeah, we usually bounce ideas off each other. Wouldn't be possible without him."

"Lena Lutessa Luthor, Jack Spheer and Bruce Wayne collaboratively working on a project- I would die."

"Okay, I have questions for you. Clearly I'm your favourite scientist. Who's your second favourite?"

"Well, before the accident, S.T.A.R Labs was my second favourite research facility. They've done some solid work. I mean, Hartley Rathaway's basically a genius. I hear he's kind of a jerk, though. But, he's also young, like a few years older than me, so I respect his smarts. And Doctor Wells made mistakes, but he did build the particle accelerator. If he waited maybe a few years and had some more people working on it, it could actually have worked. It's still light years ahead of what anyone has done."

"That was before. Who's your second favourite now?"

"Doctor Amy Ludwig."

"Nice."

"She built a super cool prosthetic."

"I'm aware."

"Have you met her?"

"Yes."

"My life is fulfilled."

"Piper, it has nothing to do with your life. And should I be offended that I'm not in your top three?"

"You're tied with Lena Lutessa Luthor for number one, obviously. And two of the smartest human beings in the world knowing each other and possibly working with each other on what would probably be a super humanitarian, super interesting project is awesome, mom."

"She's really sweet." Lena looked over at Mary who grinned.

"Yeah, she is. When she found out you were my boss, you instantly became the coolest thing about me."

"That was before I knew you properly. There's a lot of things cool about you now."

"Cooler than the fact that I work for Miss Luthor?" 

"You're a smart scientist in your own right. That's really cool. And that time you totally put that flat earther in his place. _Super_ cool." Mary smiled, leaning over to kiss Piper's head.

"I knew I kept you around for something." Piper rolled her eyes. 


	11. 15-16 years old

A month had past and Piper had gotten into kind of a routine with her mom. She hadn't seen Lena in weeks, which was to be expected. She was CEO and Founder of one of the most well known research and development facilities in the entire US. She was least in the top 30, all without using the connections that would have come with having a last name like hers. Just pure hard work. It was a quarter of the reason she looked up to Lena. The fact that she was a Luthor was something that hadn't come to light until she was successful. None of her work was even remotely affiliated with any of the other Luthors. Where Lionel and Lex Luthor worked primarily on weapons manufacturing, Lena had made sure her company was based more on pursuing advancements in health and technology. Some people called her a delusional hippy who should 'focus on real-world problems' and join the family business. Piper thought it showed strength that Lena would focus her company on healing than destroying. Disease and disorders and disabilities were real world problems, and Lena was doing her best to help solve the problems she could.

"Mom, when can I go out? I'm losing my mind here. I can't stay cooped indoors much longer."

"Funny you should ask. Lena said she might have something that can help. She'll be coming."

"And you tell me this now?"

"Iris wants to visit for your birthday too."

"You spoke to her? How's Barry? No news yet? You would have told me if there was. Still, no news is good news right? Or not? The longer he's in the coma, the more he's at risk of severe brain damage, right? But still, he's alive, so that has to count for something. But what if he doesn't? It's been weeks."

"Slow down, kiddo. No news from Barry yet. But he'll be fine. He's got doctors watching over him, and as soon as you can go out again, we'll drive down and go see him, deal?"

"Deal." There was a knock on the door.

"That'll be Lena. Try to act normal." Mary said, walking over to the door.

"How long have you known me?" Piper retorted and Mary shook her head and opened the door.

"Lena, hi. Come in. I think Piper's on a sugar high, so I'll have to apologise in advance."

"Kid's good for me ego, I don't mind." Piper heard Lena reply. "How's she doing?"

"I'm bored!" Piper called. "How did people ever live without technology? I tried writing a letter but it felt so weird. Who even writes letters? How are you supposed to get a reaction? And I've had to do all of my homework and classwork by hand. Like pen to paper. What is this? Dark ages? I can't survive like this. Stupid S.T.A.R Labs and stupid malfunctioning particle accelerator. I wanna die!" She finished and fell face first onto the couch.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to convince you to live?" Lena said sympathetically. Mary looked like she was hiding a laugh.

"Can I get a tour of Mercy Labs after all this is over?" Piper peeked her head up.

"Sure." Piper's eyes widened.

"Wait, seriously? You guys don't do tours."

"I'm the boss, I can make an exception." Piper's jaw dropped.

"Lena Lutessa Luthor is going to let me tour Mercy labs- The number one research and development facility in technology." She repeated, mainly to herself.

"Now she's broken." Mary said, more amused than worried. 

"Mercy Labs." She said again.

"Snap out of it, or you're not going." Mary said and her eyes. 

"Mom, mom, mom. I have to go. Do you understand? This is the offer of a lifetime. I might never be this happy again in my life, please."

"If you're good enough, I'm sure we'd have some space for you when you grow up."

"I really think you want her to faint." Mary accused and Lena shrugged.

"Not exactly. I do like the way she compliments me, though. No one's ever that awed and sincere."

"If you come to my school, you'll meet a roomful of girls and boys who literally think the world of you. I'm your number one fan, of course, but some people come pretty close."

"My ego would inflate."

"Rightfully, though." Lena laughed, sweetly.

"First let me earn your adoration." She said, taking out a small case. Piper took it and opened it. There were two small circular pads. "Put them on either side of your temple."

"Sure." Piper took a patch and stuck it on her left temple, before taking out the second and sticking it on her right.

"Alright, moment of truth." Lena clicked a button and the lights turned on. "EMPs are off, everything should be functional in the next five minutes."

"Right now, there's nothing. I almost feel normal again." Mary rolled her eyes, but pulled out her phone.

"Still no signal. Oh no-wait. Yup, I got one.. two.. full bars. How you feeling Pipes?"

"Still nothing." She said. "Can I finally go back out again?"

"Let's say a trial period. If nothing happens in the apartment for the next week- no glitches or anything- you're all good. Deal?"

"Yeah, okay." 


End file.
